Stop Overpromising

Just because your competitor promises something doesn’t mean you have to do it too. I know a large residential air-conditioning company that decided to promise one-hour service dispatch just because its competitors did. Unfortunately, there was no operational plan in place to deliver the promise. It just sounded like a good idea to the boss because he was tired of hearing his competitors’ radio commercials on the commute to the office. Customers are smart; they know a marketing gimmick when they see it. I guarantee that knee-jerk promises will do much more harm than good.

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The Conference Board Review is the quarterly magazine of The Conference Board, the world's preeminent business membership and research organization. Founded in 1976, TCB Review is a magazine of ideas and opinion that raises tough questions about leading-edge issues at the intersection of business and society.